N.C. State
I'm reminded of the story of how opponents of
former president Andrew Jackson during a campaign
said: "Jackson is a Jackass!" Apparently, he liked,
it and the donkey became the symbol of the
Democrat party. Similarly, in 1922 a fan allegedly
referred to NC STATE as a Wolfpack, and the term
was meant to be derogatory. Despite its intention as
a slight, the players liked the term, and the school
kept the name. As the story goes, a poor football
season in which NC State went 3-3-3 (yes, three ties!)
the fan noted the team would continue to fail if the
players “behaved like a wolfpack.”
State's teams were known as Farmers and
Mechanics, Aggies, Techs, and most commonly
the Red Terrors early on in intercollegiate athletics.
The football team was the first to adopt this new
mascot, while NC State's remaining sports
continued to be identified as the Red Terrors. In
time, the sports teams all transitioned to this new
mascot.
In 1946, NC State Chancellor JW Harrelson
launched a campaign to find a new mascot for
the university. According to him, the Wolfpack
name reflected negatively on the university.
He reminded students that Nazi submarines
were known as the wolfpack during World War II.
Harrelson's office was flooded with options,
including the North Staters, Cardinals, Hornets,
Cultivators, Cotton Pickers, and Pinerooters.
If you're wondering what a pinerooter is, it is a
slang term for pigs in some places in North
Carolina.
In the end, people did not like any of the options
as much as the mascot adopted 20 years earlier.
The Wolfpack remains NC State's mascot to this
day.
I'm reminded of the story of how opponents of former
president Andrew Jackson during a campaign said:
"Jackson is a Jackass!" Apparently, he liked, it and the
donkey became the symbol of the Democrat party. Similarly,
in 1922 a fan allegedly referred to N.C. State as a Wolfpack,
and the term was meant to be derogatory. Despite its
intention as a slight, the players liked the term, and the
school kept the name. As the story goes, a poor football
season in which NC State went 3-3-3 (yes, three ties!) the
fan noted the team would continue to fail if the players
“behaved like a wolfpack.”
N.C. State's teams were known as Farmers and Mechanics,
Aggies, Techs, and most commonly the Red Terrors early
on in intercollegiate athletics. The football team was the first
to adopt this new mascot, while NC State's remaining sports
continued to be identified as the Red Terrors. In time, the
sports teams all transitioned to this new mascot.
In 1946, NC State Chancellor J.W. Harrelson launched a
campaign to find a new mascot for the university. According
to him, the Wolfpack name reflected negatively on the
university. He reminded students that Nazi submarines
were known as the wolfpack during World War II.
Harrelson's office was flooded with options, including the
North Staters, Cardinals, Hornets, Cultivators, Cotton Pickers,
and Pinerooters. If you're wondering what a pinerooter is, it
is a slang term for pigs in some places in North Carolina.
In the end, people did not like any of the options as much
as the mascot adopted 20 years earlier. Thus, the Wolfpack
remains N.C. State's mascot to this day.
